Mariners Notebook: Rotation to rotate

Young arms to train for starting roles

By DAVID ANDRIESEN, P-I REPORTER

Published 10:00 pm, Wednesday, September 12, 2007

It's unclear how many spots in the pitching rotation the Mariners will be looking to fill next year, but with the contracts of Jeff Weaver and Horacio Ramirez expiring, it's all but certain there will be changes.

The team already has begun looking inside its own bullpen for possibilities. Relievers Brandon Morrow and Ryan Rowland-Smith will start in winter ball in Venezuela and will likely enter spring training as rotation candidates.

Rowland-Smith will leave directly after the season and pitch the first half of the Venezuelan season, while Morrow will pitch the second half. Each should get about six starts.

"I'm really excited about it," said Rowland-Smith, who started for parts of two minor league seasons in 2004 and 2005. "It's something else to try. It's good to get that little experience (in the winter) because I haven't started in about two years. It's a huge opportunity, so I was really happy when they asked me to do it."

The organization took a chance putting Morrow, their top draft choice in 2006, in the bullpen this season rather than developing him as a starter in the minors. He rewarded them with a solid season out of the bullpen, but it's always been thought his long-term future is as a starter.

"I still don't care, as long as I'm helping out and contributing," Morrow said. "We'll just stretch out and see what happens, then we'll discuss whether I'm shooting for a starting job after that."

For some of the Mariners' call-ups, that must be what it feels like these days, wanting to enjoy being in the big leagues but trapped in an environment that is anything but positive.

"The whole time we've been up, we've (the team) been struggling," said infielder Nick Green, who was called up Sept. 4 and joins his fourth major league team. "So we haven't seen the other side of it, we've only seen the struggling part, and it's not fun."

Charlton Jimerson has seen both sides of the coin, having also been a September call-up for the 2005 Astros, who won the NL wild card. The outfielder didn't have a plate appearance that fall, and he knows he won't play a key role this fall either.

"It's not going to be up to me, really, whether this thing goes or whether it falls short," Jimerson said. "What I can do is definitely be ready and stay out of the way."

Manager John McLaren said he's not ready to concede the playoffs and use the remaining days to give the young guys major league experience. At this point, their job is to soak up what they can.

"They see what it's like to have pressure on them, see the pressure on the team and see how we prepare," McLaren said.

Catcher Rob Johnson is in the majors for the first time, and despite the funereal atmosphere, he said he's doing what he can to learn from it.

"This has been a great experience for me," he said. "It's unfortunate that we're losing, but the guys are obviously playing hard every day and taking the same approach every day. As a young guy coming up, I've been watching that."

TRIAGE: Richie Sexson's season might well be over, but neither he nor McLaren is ready to concede that.

An MRI exam Tuesday determined that the hamstring pain that has hobbled the first baseman for a couple of weeks is because of tendinitis. The prescription is rest, and with just 18 days left in the season, there's little point aside from pride in him getting back onto the field.

Catcher Kenji Johjima was out of the lineup a day after he was hit in the left wrist by a thrown ball as he tried to break up a double play. Johjima was freely using the hand without a bandage Wednesday, and isn't expected to be out long.

EXTRA BASES: Before the game, the Mariners activated right-handed reliever Jon Huber, who had been on the disabled list since June 9 because of a forearm strain. The Mariners now have 36 of the players on their 40-man roster active and available. ... The time for the Sept. 29 home game against Texas, which has been listed as "to be announced," has been announced. It will be a 7:05 p.m. start unless Fox selects the game as part of its national package, which seems highly unlikely.